No cheap seats for Cain, Gingrich 'Lincoln-Douglas-style' debate

No television station has signed on to broadcast the “Lincoln-Douglas” debate between GOP presidential rivals Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich, and those hoping to attend the Nov. 5 debate will pay a steep price to see the drama unfold in-person.

General admission for the debate costs $200 – although the price includes a slice of “good ole apple pie,” according to the Texas Tea Party Patriots PAC, which is sponsoring the event.

Then there’s the “Patron Ticket,” which costs $500. Patron-level purchasers will get “prime seating” and admission to a “Nite Cap party after the debate,” as well as a chance to mingle with the candidates over drinks and hors d’oerves afterward.

Top-level donors will pay $1,000 for “the best seating in the house,” a special room at the Woodlands Resort in Houston for the Nite Cap party, and a “professional picture” taken with the candidates.

Students can get in for $150, but those tickets are sold out.
 
Gingrich has been a long-time proponent of the Lincoln-Douglas debate style, because it gives candidates more time to have a detailed policy discussion. Gingrich has repeatedly said that if he were the Republican nominee, he would challenge President Obama to seven three-hour Lincoln-Douglas style debates.

The debates typically have a time-keeper, not a moderator, although this TTPP debate will be moderated by Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), a Tea Party favorite.

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